Lima woman sentenced to 17 1/2 years in prison for sex trafficking conspiracy

A Lima woman was sentenced to more than 17 years in prison for her role in a sex trafficking conspiracy, said Acting U.S. Attorney David A. Sierleja, FBI Special Agent in Charge Stephen D. Anthony and Lima Police Chief Kevin Martin.

Megan Hitt, 29, was sentenced to 210 months in federal prison. Jacqueline Young, 54, was sentenced to four years in prison for obstructing the investigation.

Last month, three people from Lima were sentenced to prison for their roles in the case. Randy Thompson, 26, was sentenced to 24 years in federal prison. Shemeric Cook, 30, was sentenced to 12 years in prison. Precious Russell, 20, was sentenced to nine years in prison.

Hitt, Thompson and others conspired to cause girls, aged 14 and 16, to engage in commercial sex acts in Lima and Fort Wayne, Indiana. They did this by taking and posting sexually explicit photos of the girls on backpage.com, transporting the girls, renting motel rooms for them and negotiating prices, according to court documents.

This took place between November 2015 and January 2016, according to court documents.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Alissa M. Sterling and Daniel Hurley following an investigation by the Lima Police Department, the FBI and the Northwest Ohio Crimes Against Children Task Force.